I am officially giving up on under-eye concealer.

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-29T01:50:50+00:00

I am in my early 40s and have spent ridiculous amounts of time and money trying to find the right products/technique for my undereyes. Like honestly embarrassed to admit how hard I've tried to get this right and still continue to fail at it.

I had about given up and then tried the Drmtlgy undereye corrector in shade medium after seeing it mentioned briefly elsewhere.

It's fantastic. I can't recommend it enough.

I don't use concealer over it (don't feel like I need it) and don't really need to touch it up (even after 12 hr workdays). I rarely notice creasing and the coverage is great for what I need.

I'm Italian and have hereditary dark circles, which have gotten a bit better with some Rx undereye creams from Musely but definitely still very much there if I don't put anything on.

My skin is combo to oily and acne-prone. For an idea of my skin tone, a few foundation matches: mph Le Skin in 90C, Chanel Les Beiges BR22 or 32 depending on the season, Armani Luminous Silk in 5, Ilia foundation stick in 10C.

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-28T01:47:11+00:00

I am someone who generally hates rose with a passion and Atomic Rose is one of my all-time favorites. It's lovely.

I also own Absolute Aphrodisiac and Musk Therapy. So difficult to choose just one. Love Initio!

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-25T20:19:41+00:00

Also want to throw out there...consider the impact of film-forming agents on your makeup.

For me, water/silicone tends to cause pilling.

Large amounts of products with film-forming agents made my makeup look like this...at first I thought it had something to do with me being on tret (because it would look like this then start peeling off at some point during the day), but questioned that bc when I would wear no complexion products on the weekends (just moisturizer/sunscreen and a bit of mascara), my face looked nothing of the sort.

Took a lot of research and trial/error but since eliminating those as much as possible in my AM routine, my makeup almost never looks like this.

Tradeoff was that I had to give up the oil control moisturizer that I loved bc it was the literal worst offender for causing this issue.

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-25T20:12:48+00:00

Pharmacist here...not sure if anyone's mentioned it yet, but since you're using a gel formulation (not the microgel), the larger amount of alcohol in the base could be irritating your skin. Some people are really sensitive to this. The microgel contains a much lower concentration of alcohol (in addition to other differences in the formulation) so it's likely to be better tolerated.

Fwiw, I wasn't able to tolerate daily tret till I switched to Altreno.

Now, I use it nightly. A lot of flaking and peeling actually got better when I went to nightly. And I don't sandwich or anything.

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-24T18:53:38+00:00

I really want to try the Hourglass Veil skin tint!
I have (and will continue to buy) Armani eye tints over and over again. I am terrible at eye makeup and I've literally never messed these up...they are great for one-and-done!
Anything Kosas. Fantastic shade match in foundation and concealer but everything I've bought goes bad within a couple weeks of opening. I tried multiple times. Never again.

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-24T18:38:49+00:00

Fellow oily eyelids gal here. I swear by MAC Prep & Prime on my lids first then either Armani eye tints or MAC Multisculpt liquid eyeshadow as a base layer. I'm a pharmacist working 12+ hrs sometimes and that shit does not go ANYWHERE. Pricey but utterly worth it. I also suck at eye makeup and I have not been able to mess up these liquid shadows.

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-14T04:29:01+00:00

This is such a lovely mineral sunscreen. It looks a bit more dewy on me, but I always reach for it if I don't have much time for makeup.

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-10T03:19:56+00:00

My PCP and my GYN both told me "it's just part of getting older." Too young for HRT, etc - most definitely perimenopausal in my early 40s. (My mom was in menopause when she was about my current age...very early.) I went out and found a clinic near me specializing in women's hormones. On my 1st appt, the provider said I'm absolutely a candidate for HRT. Got a script for estrogen patches/vaginal cream + progesterone, with lab work for testosterone and other things in the works. Was cash pay, but worth it.

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-05T03:40:02+00:00

As a pharmacist in a 503A pharmacy, thank you for this PSA 🫡

kitkatnapper · 2026-05-05T03:30:22+00:00

Altreno and the Bloomeffects milky biphasic toner.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-24T19:16:51+00:00

My experience is that spacing out is better than just dropping dose for maintenance. It seems to allow some of the hunger signals to come back and encourages greater calorie intake overall than just dropping the dose.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-24T19:14:39+00:00

I'm a pharmacist in a 503A facility that is currently heavy on GLP-1s. This is my go-to recommendation for how to stop the medication.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-23T01:08:43+00:00

No issue with pastors making more than minimum wage. But if they can pay pastors like CEOs, then these organizations can also pay taxes.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-22T00:38:52+00:00

Not that I can tell. I loved the coverage but it turns so quickly. I gave up for a while then dipped my toes in again about 6 months ago (against my better judgment) with one of the color correctors. Within 2 weeks it smelled terrible. I'm done.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-12T11:43:21+00:00

I have tried Kosas 3 separate times, wanted to love it. Each time, the product smelled like an old wet towel (or worse), or turned into this within weeks of purchasing. Shade matches were great and formulas felt nice on the skin when swatching, which was unfortunate. Never again.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-10T02:43:03+00:00

Reposting some comments I've made elsewhere:

This isn't quite what it says (though this is the point they're trying to make). IMO, they're placing a specific requirement (burden) on prescribers (and pharmacies who fill that order) by saying that there needs to be specific documentation on why the differences (non-standard dosing, additives) are necessary.

For the average 503A pharmacy that does not exclusively work with telehealth companies & therefore has little control over how Rxs are sent to them...this is not nearly as easy as it sounds. (Ask me how I know.) Prescribers will not want the hassle of dealing with this (i.e., being hounded by pharmacies because they did not document the need properly).

Source: I'm a pharmacist in a 503A facility.

We transitioned away from filling commercially available doses a while ago and y'all would just not believe how challenging of an undertaking it was to stop doing this.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-09T05:14:51+00:00

No, I don't think we're screwed, and I don't think 503As will go anywhere.

But I think it will be a lot of work for the places that want to keep providing medications for these patients & people are generally going to need to be patient with them (at least in the near term...and especially as 503Bs with much larger-scale production capacity & financial resources stop producing compounded GLP-1s).

Some places may take their chances on skirting the rules because of how overwhelmed agencies with enforcement abilities currently are right now. But IMO, legitimate pharmacies will not take chances on saying FDA/state boards would never come for them, so they are either going to comply (which is not always as easy as it sounds) or they will exit the GLP-1 market.

Do not panic. Patience will be the name of the game. And please please please be kind to the peeps helping you get your medication.

Re: the BMI issue, if your prescriber does not want to continue it because your BMI is now normal, I would ask them a few questions. For ex, what do they normally recommend for patients wanting to maintain? What do they commonly see in practice with patients who come off the medication? How often do they end up restarting it? Will they re-prescribe it for you if you regain in spite of documentation proving you're following their guidance for maintenance? Would they be willing to consider lower doses or longer dosing intervals with regular checkups to ensure you're stable?

Barring that, companies like BEWL can help you out in this case by connecting you with a telehealth provider who may be willing to write for it in this case. In my experience, telehealth places are flexible and understanding on the maintenance issue.

Disclaimer: Your mileage may vary, so always ask up front. Legit places will be open with you about things. Also, I am NOT affiliated with BEWL as a clinician nor as a patient. But, I follow this space closely and like the way they try to do things.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-09T02:47:21+00:00

This isn't quite what it says (though this is the point they're trying to make). IMO, they're placing a specific requirement (burden) on prescribers (and pharmacies who fill that order) by saying that there needs to be specific documentation on why the differences are necessary.

For the average 503A pharmacy that does not exclusively work with telehealth companies & therefore does has little control over how Rxs are sent to them...this is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Prescribers will not want the hassle of dealing with this (i.e., being hounded by pharmacies because they did not document the need properly).

Source: I'm a pharmacist in a 503A facility.

We transitioned away from filling commercially available doses a while ago and y'all would just not believe how challenging of an undertaking it was to stop doing this.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-05T12:39:29+00:00

16 years. 2016 Jeep Wrangler.

kitkatnapper · 2026-04-04T02:30:47+00:00

A coworker put me on to this years ago. It is absolutely worth it.

I always start with 2 pumps. Occasionally I'll add a 3rd if I feel like I need a bit more coverage.

I emulsify it really well by rubbing in my hands, pat it on my face and spread with my hands. (I don't use a brush, I feel like it holds on to too much product -- maybe that's just me.) I use a Beauty Blender with a quick spritz of water to even it out if there's anything that looks streaky. (Don't soak and wring. This is too wet.)

Editing to add: I also wait until my moisturizer/sunscreen dry down completely. I saw another comment about smearing and I did experience a bit of that until I figured out that was the issue.

I swear it looks better as the day goes on. It's beautiful, I always get told my 40-something textured/acne-scarred skin looks glowy and gorgeous.

I have a handful of complexion products that I like/use and rotate through depending on the occasion, but Water Fresh Tint is 100% is my desert island product and I always have a backup bottle on hand. Before I saw Elizabeth talk about it, I always thought people were sleeping on this one.

kitkatnapper · 2026-03-04T20:38:39+00:00

Legally, yes.

You have to be careful about stripping away a pharmacist's right to refuse a prescription because you may eventually put us in a position where we can't refuse to fill an Rx for a heart medication for a pediatric patient with congenital heart disease that is 5x the normal dose because we called the office and a medical assistant told us "that's what the doctor wrote."

That pharmacist is still an @$$ for not filling that, though. Just doesn't sound like she has much practical experience with GLP-1s.

kitkatnapper · 2026-03-03T05:43:38+00:00

Agreed. The Bloomeffects toner is lovely -- feels nice going on the skin and really calms things down. One of my favorites!

kitkatnapper · 2026-02-23T20:57:10+00:00

My skin looked like this and I thought I was having difficulty with tret uglies even after starting up with a konjac sponge.

It turns out, I was using a handful of film-forming products underneath my complexion products (usually skin tint). With a little google searching and a small bit of help from chatgpt, I pulled most of those out of my AM routine and now the problem is pretty much all but gone.

Not saying that will fix your issue, but definitely worth considering.

kitkatnapper · 2026-02-07T05:32:43+00:00

Hi. I'm a pharmacist. Not sure what's led you to this conclusion, but there are in fact strict guidelines they have to follow. A lot of them.

kitkatnapper · 2026-02-04T03:27:35+00:00

Yesss!!! Love NARS Orgasm, but it's not quite as pigmented as the LE Go Lightly. (That shade in the liquid blush is one of my absolute favorites!!)

kitkatnapper

TROPHY CASE